The Storyteller
by IMBSA
Summary: There was once a King named Andrew. He had a wife, but she betrayed him and with her dying breath cursed him, ridding him of his ability to trust someone enough to love. Andrew decreed that each night he would wed a woman and the very next behead her. AU
1. Default Chapter

The Storyteller

By: IMBSA and KAHMBG

Summary: There was once a King named Andrew. He had a wife, but she betrayed him and with her dying breath cursed Andrew, ridding him of his ability to trust someone enough to love. Andrew decreed that each night he would wed a woman and the very next morning, behead her. The vizier's daughter, Aisha, formulated a plan that might save the women of the kingdom—and Andrew himself. Andy/Aisha AU

IMBSA: Yet _another_ A/A ficcy from me. At first I was going to write this for Mwu/Murrue, but as I tried formulating ideas, I kept coming back to Andy/Aisha. Thus, it is now A/A. And to all my fellow M/M fans, don't worry; you'll get your chance once I find a story for them. I'm sorry if it's a bit jerky and out of order. Forgive me!

Disclaimer: "A story can fly like a bee, so straight and swift you catch only the hum of its passing. Or move so slowly it seems motionless, curled in upon itself like a snake in the sun. It can vanish like smoke before the wind. Linger like perfume in the nose. Change with every telling, yet always remain the same." –Shahrazad, _The Storyteller's Daughter_

IMBSA: I am retelling the book _The Storyteller's_ _Daughter_ which in turn retells _Arabian Nights_. So, without further ado, I will commence with the story.

Once, so long ago that even the oldest of men will only remember their stories, there lived a king who had two sons: Andrew and Martin. This king was a wise man. While other rulers raised their sons in jealousy and competition, Andrew and Martin's father raised his sons in harmony and love. As a result, they had no quarrels over petty, material things.

When the king died, Andrew inherited not only his father's lands, but his entire court and palace, which included courtiers and advisors. Among them, the highest and most prized was the king's vizier.

When the king had been a young man, he and his vizier had led the forces of the king to a great victory in a distant place. When they returned, the vizier brought with him a wife, daughter of a people both fierce and proud. Instead of living in cities or any such settlements, they traveled from place to place, having no true home on this earth.

Among them, the ones that were the greatest of the honored were the _drabardi_—story and fortune tellers. Juma, the woman the vizier took for his wife, was rumored to be the greatest _drabardi_ of those who had come before. But at her birth, it was prophesied that her child would be the greatest _drabardi_ of all. Greater even than Juma herself.

The vizier, closer to Andrew's father in age, was also a good man. He had two beloved daughters who were as close in love as they were far in age. The younger was a child of ten. Her name was Jazira. The elder was a young woman of 17, and her name was Aisha.

Jazira's mother had once been a great lady at court. But Aisha's mother had been Juma, the vizier's first wife. Many tales had been told of Aisha's mother, since she was from a strange land.

Juma possessed an intellect as keen as the blade of a knife, and beauty so terrible that few could bear to gaze upon her. But she never had to pass the test of gazing upon her own features. She was as all the truly great _drabardi _were:

Juma the Storyteller was blind.

The vizier and his wife lived quietly, attracting little attention from anyone. In their second year of marriage, Juma presented the vizier with a daughter. They named her Aisha.

Though her husband was loved and trusted, though she proved to be quite virtuous and true, few who lived near her gave any love to Juma the Storyteller. She was a foreigner, and the fear of one who was not born in the same place was too strong.

Though Aisha was born and raised in the palace, not to mention very beautiful, she kept herself shut away from the pomp and circumstances of the court. For as the parents did not trust and love the mother, so they taught their children to do the same to her child. Though Aisha had never seen nor lived among her mother's people, she grew up like them. She sought, yet could never find her true place in the world. Aisha grew up lonely.

In the palace of the king there was a fountain that Aisha loved above all others. It was a small pool shaded by a beautiful pomegranate tree, tucked away in the corner of a secluded garden. In it swam exquisite goldfish. It was tiled with stone that was such a piercing blue it made looking into the water the same as looking into the sky.

It was there that was Aisha's favorite place; it was there where she felt like she belonged. And it was there, when she was eight years old, that she was taken by surprise.

A group of courtier's children ambushed her, throwing her into the fountain she loved so much. The force of her fall was such that the tree's branches shook. As she fell, Aisha struck her head on the rocks that lined the pool; her red blood mixed with the pool's pale water, staining the water like the encounter stained Aisha's soul.

The children, afraid of Juma's wrath, fled, not wishing to be at the scene. They left Aisha lying in a pool of bloody water, sobbing as if her heart would break. That was how her mother found her.

"Why do they do these things to me!" Aisha wept when she saw her mother. "I don't do anything to them! Anything!"

Despite the fact that her own heart felt like shattering, Juma replied calmly, 'That is all you need to do, my dearest daughter. Being yourself is enough to make them hate you. You are not like they are; they cannot forgive that. Nor can they forget." She paused, remembering her own troubles coming to court. She continued, "Come now. Dry your eyes and we shall go away from this pool."

But young Aisha had been hurt. Angry feelings, as well as rebellious ones, welled up inside her. She stayed right where she was. "Why do I have to be different?" Aisha wanted to know. "I want to be the same!" She splashed the bloodied water, furious. "I'm not leaving until you tell me why I can't be the same."

Before Aisha could react, Juma stepped into the pool with her daughter, wading to Aisha's wet and blood-spattered form. Juma tore one of her sleeves and bound Aisha's bleeding head with the cloth. How Juma could do so without seeing the wound, Aisha could not answer.

"Get up." Juma commanded. "And change into dry clothes. Then go to my chest and bring the cloth you find in there.

Though still aching, both physically and emotionally, Aisha obeyed. She knew that the only way her mother would answer her would be through a story.

While Aisha was gone, Juma stood in the water, eyes downcast, as though she could see the water—tainted by her daughter's blood. From her eyes fell two tears, one from each eye. When they hit the water in the fountain, the pool was instantly cleansed

When Aisha returned, her mother was standing by the pool. At the sound of her daughter's steps, Juma turned and held out her hand.

"What have you brought me, my daughter?" She asked.

Aisha wordlessly placed the piece of cloth into her hand. It was silk, so like strands of gossamer, and the same blue of the stones in the pool. She watched intently as Juma slowly brushed her fingers across the cloth

Hidden between each fragile thread was a story waiting to be told, if only one would take the time to find it. And that was the storytelling art. To tell the story one found in the cloth was a secret only known by the _drabardi_.

"Aha." Juma said when she had finished. "Excellent choice my youngling." Aisha gave an unlady-like snort and sat down beside her mother, crossing her arms across her chest as she did so.

"What choice?" She replied. "That was the only cloth in the whole miserable trunk." She was still quite angry. Even the prospect of being told a story did not cheer her.

Juma nodded, as if expecting this. "That is as it should be." She answered a small smile upon her lips. "For it is _your_ story that you have picked. Will you hear it?"

"I will," Aisha responded after a moment's deliberation.

"Then I will give you its name. It is called..."

IMBSA: So ends chapter one. Now, I am aware that Andy/Aisha is not a common pairing. However, I think it is a wonderful one. Don't you guys get tired of hearing the same old thing every time you read a story? I bear no offense toward anyone who writes about Kira and the other _main_ characters. I'm not trying to insult you. It's just that, IMHO, some of these characters are _waaaaaaay_ over-rated, and I choose not to write about them. If _you_ choose to write about them , then I'm not stopping you, nor am I judging you. So please don't flame me or think anything bad about this story simply because of the characters _I_ choose to write about. Thank you. That being said, R & R. - Please. I've already been over this with Feral Claw, my ego is, like, a dying flame here. And when my ego's like that, down goes my creative ability and—

KAHMBG: Quitcher whinin'. _I_'m the one who has to write the next chapter!

IMBSA:...So? I still need an ego boost too!

KAHMBG:rolls eyes: Whatever.


	2. The Princess and the Jinn

The Storyteller

Chapter 2: The Princess and the Jinn

Disclaimer: We don't own ANYthing.

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"_There was once a princess who was the daughter of a king in a faraway land. The king was very rich and powerful and the princess's mother was very beautiful. But the young girl was none of these things." Juma began. "She was ugly and frail, and because she was like that, she was shunned by even her own parents. Neglected by everyone even though she was the only child of the king, the princess grew up alone._

"_One day she was walking by a pool in her garden when she looked down into the water. Within the depths, she saw many goldfish swimming in the pool. Fascinated, she knelt by the fountain, watching the fish at their play. After awhile, she spoke, saying, 'Oh goldfish, I wish that I was like you, so pretty and golden. Then I would be loved and admired and not cast aside.'_

"_Now anyone worth their salt knows that speaking your innermost desires is a dangerous thing, for you never know who might be listening. It just so happened that at that moment a jinn came by on his magic dust cloud in time to hear her speak those words. An idea came to him and he appeared before the surprised princess._

"'_I heard your wish,' the jinn said. 'And I will grant it.'_

"_But the little girl didn't believe the jinn. She knew that any of the fairy folk could not be trusted for they had a history of tricking humans. So she asked him, 'How do I know you aren't deceiving me?'_

"'_I assure you, I am not.' The jinn replied. 'I will even give you a second wish: to turn back into a girl at your convenience. You need only say one word.'_

"_The young princess regarded the jinn suspiciously for a moment, and then nodded. 'Give me a chance to practice the word first.' She told him. The jinn obliged. After a few moments practicing, the princess gave her consent to him._

"_Once she became a fish, the jinn placed her into the pool, and then hid in the trees near it. The moment after the jinn had hidden, a cousin of the young princess, a very good-looking boy, came along with his most loyal guard. The princess stared in admiration at him. But the words he spoke made her blood run cold._

"'_Tomorrow, I will lure the king to this very spot,' the cousin told the man. 'You will be waiting in the tree above to fall on him when I give the signal.' They continued, detailing what they would do with the boy's uncle's kingdom, including the little princess._

"_The princess was distraught. No matter what her father had done—or not done—to her, she still loved him. She resolved to save him._

"_The moon set and the sun rose, but right at the time when night turns to day, the cousin reappeared, the king following him. Readying for the chance to be elevated in her father's eyes, the princess watched with interest. The moment she saw the glint of her cousin's dagger, the princess tried to speak the word and, to her horror, found she could not! In her haste to become a goldfish, she had forgotten that they could not speak. In a desperate attempt to save her father, the princess threw herself from the pool and onto the blade of her cousin's knife. Immediately, the charm wore off and the princess fell to the ground, knife too far into her breast to save her. _

"_With a cry, the king unsheathed his sword and instantly killed the cousin, as well as his serving man. Gathering his daughter in his arms, the king began to weep._

"_It was at this point that the jinn revealed himself to the king. 'Do you see what you have done?' The being asked the grieving man. 'How much is your daughter worth to you now that she is dead and you are not? Remember this lesson well, good king.'_

"_And with that, the jinn disappeared, leaving the king and his land to mourn._

Juma's fingers stilled. "Well Aisha," she said. "What does this story mean to you? What does it tell you?"

Aisha was quiet. "Don't listen to fairies?"

Juma laughed quietly. "Good advice. You are, as always, very quick-witted. But what does your heart say?"

Aisha sighed, leaning her head against her mother's shoulder. "That I should know my value and not look for what I'm not."

The storyteller stroked her daughter's hair. "Well spoken," she whispered. "Your heart is strong, my Aisha. And a heart like that grants wishes, even the impossible ones. Remember this."

"Always." Aisha promised. Her mother's fingers whispered along her hair. Could she be read, the same way as the cloth? She lifted her head and felt her mother's touch fall away.

"I'll always be different, right?"

"Different, you? Yes," She replied.

"And they'll always hate me?"

"I can't tell the actions of others. Nobody can."

Abruptly, Aisha got up, expression set. "Then I'll live without them."

Juma tipped her face up, like she could actually see Aisha's face over her.

"Do you think anyone can?" She asked her daughter.

Aisha snorted and turned away. "I don't know yet. I'll tell you when I can."

Juma made a _tsk_ing sound with her tongue and got to her feet. Taking the piece of silk cloth, she dropped it evenly into the pond, where it settled on the surface for just a moment.

But in that brief moment, those with eyes to truly see beheld an image, unnoticed before. A fish outlined in intricate, shimmery gold stitches. Then, the cloth sank under the water like sugar melting into hot coffee, and this fish was just like the others in the pond.

"I didn't like your story much, mother," Aisha told Juma, taking her by the arm. "That fairy tricked the girl in another way. She only got two wishes when she's supposed to get three."

"Oh, you!" Juma exclaimed. "I'm wasting my time on you. That only happens in fairy stories. How many times must I tell you that?"

Aisha laughed as they left the garden.

For a full five minutes, the garden was quiet and still. But then the high branches of the pomegranate tree swayed; it was like they had caught a sudden wind and held it. The face of a youth a few years older than Aisha appeared. He slid down the tree's trunk and dropped quietly to the ground. Without thinking, he crossed the path to the pool, and, not caring about his clothes, stretched his arms into the bottom. And though he searched until he was completely drenched, he couldn't find the cloth left by Juma. Finally, he gave up and sat by the pool, counting the slow-moving fish.

His name was Andrew.

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KAHMBG: Whew, that was hard.

IMBSA: What are you talking about? I'm the one who had to type this thing up, not to mention _I_ was the one who had to remember the story without the book because _someone_ returned it to the library without telling me. :death-glare in KAHBMG's direction:

KAHMBG:whistles innocently:

IMBSA: Anyway, just review.

Both: R & R!

**AlyssC01:** Well….I don't know if this fic is a very good one to base any type of assumptions on about Gundam SEED, so….Oh, and KAHMBG is my co-author. Some of the fanfics I write, she writes too. But I'll _say_ if she helps me and I haven't posted anything we've written together, save this one.

**lilykt7: **Well….It _is_ AU, which means that it has absolutely _nothing_ to do with it. The characters are the same.

**SweetazKande:** Well, like I told lilykt7, it's AU. But thanks for the encouragement!

**Chayla Maznable:** Well hello there. Well, I hope it's up to your expectations….


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